To feel a mix of relief and guilt for my kids going into holiday club?

I offered for them to go into a holiday club for 2 days this week, and they have agreed. I didn’t pressure them into doing it, and they are excited about the activities they have chosen.

But I feel REALLY guilty. Like if I’m off from work, the kids should be with me. But I’m also SO in need of a break from them. I’ll have a 2.5 week stretch of them with me with no break (I’m a single mum), and with the eldest with ASD I find it stressful and tiring.

We are doing similar with our son, who's also autistic. We work so hard to keep activities successful for him and keep him able to go to new places etc. He'll gain a lot more from the opportunity than he would from an extra couple of days at home.

I used to feel like this after I had DS1 if booked a day’s leave and put him in nursery so I could go back to bed and sleep. Then I realised it was saving my sanity & it was in the vein of first aid, where you first have to save yourself. Enjoy your days off - decompression time for you is important too.

Two days a week for the next two weeks here, too! It's a Godsend - they're happy, playing with new children and grown ups they feel confident with, come home muddy and tired and full of stories, and I get some achingly-needed rest and a chance to have a wee without constant company! I would have loved holiday club as a child, no guilt here!

It's a holiday club, not a North Korean prison camp! I hope you enjoyed the break eventually!

Haha, I know! They came out saying they had enjoyed it, but DS1 is on edge and saying he isn’t sure about going in tomorrow. Which is fine if he doesn’t want to. I just hope it doesn’t trigger a meltdown, otherwise that would be totally counterproductive!

I spent most of the day doing chores 🙄 bit at least the house looks a bit better now and I got through my enormous pile of ironing!

Goodness no! DD has ASD and much as I love her it does us both good to spend time apart, she just spent a week at pony camp 9-5 and it was great for her, she built confidence and I was able to spend time with DS without having to think about her needs, which is important for him too.